Enhancing seniors' health-related quality of life: Designing a framework of virtual healthcare information technologies

In: International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science: IJRBS, Band 9, Heft 7, S. 1-11

Abstract

Virtual healthcare information technologies (HIT) are being adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. We propose that even after Covid-19, virtual HIT can still have great potentials to address the challenges brought by the aging population on healthcare systems. The key questions are (1) what kinds of virtual HIT will be useful for seniors and (2) how these HIT will affect senior citizens' health-related quality of life (HRQL)? Centered on the concept of HRQL and grounded on task-technology fit (TTF) theory, this paper builds a framework of useful virtual HIT in the context of long-term care for seniors. The framework proposes senior citizens' human characteristics (i.e. restricted mobility, deteriorated working memory and attention, and social isolation) will influence their health-related tasks (task adaptability, autonomy, and interdependence). A set of virtual healthcare systems can be designed to fit seniors' tasks. These HIT will increase seniors' HRQL through increased task-technology fit (i.e. quality of healthcare, timeliness of healthcare, and relationships with seniors). This framework can serve as a base for researchers and practitioners in their endeavor to design more suitable HIT for seniors.